LONDON: On a recent weekday, Diego Galdino was on the hunt for pickpockets in central London, patrolling tourist hotspots for familiar suspects and telltale signs of those about to commit thefts.<\/p>\n
Galdino, however, is not a policeman.<\/p>\n
The Brazilian food app delivery rider has become a popular, social media-fueled vigilante targeting pickpocketing in the British capital.<\/p>\n
He started filming \u2014 and then trying to disrupt \u2014 thieves in action after witnessing several incidents.<\/p>\n
And his videos on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms under the handle \u201cpickpocketlondon\u201d have proved a hit.<\/p>\n
One posted late July on TikTok amassed nearly 27 million views \u2014 another on Instagram showing a suspect spitting at him garnered more than 12 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know nothing about TikTok, I didn\u2019t know nothing about uploading a video,\u201d Galdino told AFP.<\/p>\n
\u201cI catch them stealing, I catch a lot of situations and I upload daily and grow very quickly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Similar accounts have emerged in other European cities including Venice and Paris, as the era of mass tourism, social media and side hustles collides with crime and vigilantism.<\/p>\n
Galdino said he was \u201ccompletely surprised\u201d by the response.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy life\u2019s changed a lot,\u201d he added. Now, he said, he was inundated with media interview requests and got recognized by supporters and suspects alike.<\/p>\n
Galdino, from a family of police officers in Brazil, said he has become expert at identifying likely thieves.<\/p>\n
They appear well organized, are often women and work in pairs. They mainly target tourists, dressing like them to blend in, he said.<\/p>\n
Standing outside Buckingham Palace, the 32-year-old said he could change his \u201cperception\u201d while patrolling to create a kind of tunnel vision.<\/p>\n
A network of around 20 other delivery riders helps out, sending tip-offs via WhatsApp when suspects are spotted.<\/p>\n
Once on the scene, Galdino swoops in filming with an attached camera, shouting a signature \u201cpickypockets\u201d warning to sound the alert.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatch out, pickypockets!\u201d he yells.<\/p>\n
His presence is not always welcomed though, and Galdino said he had faced violence.<\/p>\n
But focus, adrenalin and a sense of \u201cinjustice\u201d at the thefts overrode any fear, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate this kind of thing,\u201d Galdino added. \u201cThese people get up in the morning … (to) steal. They don\u2019t pay tax, they don\u2019t produce nothing to society.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the streets, locals as well as visitors seemed to appreciate his efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep doing what you\u2019re doing!\u201d said passerby Tom, 37, after recognizing Galdino.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully tourists (who) come to London who maybe don\u2019t know about the phone-snatchers see your videos.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sceptics however, have raised concerns about such vigilante content-creators, arguing they are ill-trained to intervene in potentially dangerous situations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a kind of performative form of crime vigilantism for clicks,\u201d criminologist Jennifer Fleetwood told AFP.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure the guy is very well-meaning, but honestly this is not an effective form of crime control,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not going to be out there for the next 10 years, is he?\u201d said Fleetwood, a university lecturer in criminology who wrote the book \u201cWhat We Talk About When We Talk About Crime.\u201d<\/p>\n
London\u2019s leaders insist they are tackling pickpocketing.<\/p>\n
Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan boosted police numbers in the center to curb theft, robbery and antisocial behavior.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be targeting hotspot areas with both plain-clothed and uniformed patrols, building on the progress we\u2019ve already made,\u201d the Metropolitan Police said.<\/p>\n
Their statement did not comment directly on Galdino, but it did note a 15.6 percent reduction in \u201ctheft from the person\u201d in the six weeks since their boost began April 6.<\/p>\n
However, force\u2019s statistics show it recorded more than 32,000 \u201cthefts from the person\u201d in the year to July in central Westminster.<\/p>\n
That is up on the previous 12 months and a considerable increase on the year from July 2022.<\/p>\n
Fleetwood argued the social media fixation on pickpocketing risked exaggerating the problem.<\/p>\n
Statistics show such thefts are no more prevalent in the capital than other English cities and regions, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen so much stuff on social media about London being unfriendly or London being dangerous.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut … is it the case that you\u2019re more likely to be a victim of personal crime in London? Actually, no.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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